Apartment Sharing
by MarzBunni
Summary: Ludwig is living alone when a whirlwind name Feliciano comes into his life, turning everything topsy turvy! But is there more to this man than there seems to be? And will Ludwig survive this, frankly terrifying, invasion of his home and privacy. May be ooc.
1. A Surprise Guest

A thump and low screech woke Ludwig from his daze of almost sleep. He rolled his eyes at the shiver that passed through him, the thrill of fear as he looked around his poorly lit apartment reminding him of being small enough to crawl into his brother's bed. If he were the sort of man who laughed easily, he would have chuckled as he peeled himself out of bed, the air comfortable despite his near-nudity (it was too hot for anything except boxers), and strode over to the window. That thump earlier hadn't been a particularly significant sound, after all, and when living in a city as big as this one, noise was to be expected.

Honestly, why he'd noticed it among the distant thrum of traffic and people living was beyond him. Nonetheless, he pushed aside the curtain, glancing down at the near-empty street several stories below. The only sights to be found were parked cars under orange streetlights, one or two people stumbling their way across the street in a fashion that decidedly did not indicate sobriety, and the still brightly lit convenience store a few buildings over. Harrumphing at himself, Ludwig pulled his eyes up, meeting a bright gold pair as he prepared to turn around. He gasped, heart suddenly thudding away like it was trying to win a marathon on its own, and blinked, but there hadn't been anything there. Just the white Christmas lights someone living on the sixth floor of the apartment across the street had left up for seven months now (since mid-October, nowhere near Christmas). He was on the fifth floor, anyways, what else could he have seen?

Again suffering through an almost laugh at his own foolishness, Ludwig pulled the curtain back down, taking a deep breath to calm the still breakneck pace his heart was beating at. He felt another vague twinge at turning away from the window, not wanting to leave his back exposed to it, but he disregarded the feeling as both silly and useless (two things he absolutely had no time for) and began to make his way back to bed. After two steps, Ludwig stopped, meeting the golden eyes again. He stiffened, blinking again, only to find them still there afterwards. Eyes widening, he stepped back, groping around in the dark for something to protect himself with. His desk was in this corner of the room, surely there was something…

The other set of eyes didn't blink back, instead looming closer, and Ludwig's scrabbling fingers found a picture frame and threw it. Glass shattered as the eyes stepped into the dim orange light seeping through the curtains, and Ludwig stared at the now apparently human form, glass and bits of wood and plastic falling to the floor from the impact point on its chest, as his hands continued to seek out anything else he could use. The figure reached out with one arm, outlined in orange monotone, and spoke, the words incomprehensible.

Ludwig threw another picture frame, not finding much else laying out on the desk thanks to his own implacable tidiness, and cursed loudly.

"Shit! Get back!"

The figure, now close enough that Ludwig realized it was shorter than he was, placed its outstretched hand on his shoulder, pushing him inexorably against the wall. With one more desperate flail, Ludwig's fingers closed around an uncapped pen, and seeing the opportunity, he picked it up and stabbed it as hard as he could (which was quite hard) into the figure's side. The figure shook slightly at the impact, but did not let go, the golden, nearly luminescent eyes drawing nearer before vanishing as they passed below Ludwig's line of sight. The force with which he was held against the wall was bruising his back and shoulder in a way that would be a pain to deal with in the morning, if- no, when he saw it. Struggling harder and kicking out against it, Ludwig jerked at the pen, finding it stuck firmly, before giving up and punching the figure in the stomach. He felt a prick at his neck, and the sudden pain made him more panicked, stomping on insoles to no avail. The hand holding him against the wall moved, pushing against where the pain originated. Blunt fingertips with smoothly trimmed fingernails dug into the small wound before dragging languidly around his neck in confusing patterns.

"What the hell? Stop that! S-stop!"

Surely his neighbors could hear his shouting, surely someone would call the police. Ludwig's labored breaths echoed through the room as the figure began speaking in incomprehensible syllables, the room brightening. Ludwig's brows came together as he hit the figure again, confused, before a glance down showed the figure's head outlined by a pale white glow emanating from Ludwig's own shoulder. He jerked harshly, still held down somehow, before the light brightened once more with a flash, and everything went blurry and shaky. Feeling nauseous, Ludwig would have staggered if he'd been able to move. Fortunately, the nausea abated quickly as the figure drew back. Unfortunately, so did Ludwig's consciousness.

Laying in his firm bed, Ludwig felt awareness slowly coming back to him. He blinked idly at the ceiling for a moment before checking his clock, noting that it was only a few minutes before his 6 A.M. alarm would go off. Satisfied, he made to get up before finally noticing the strange weight on his chest. He looked down, grunting in surprise as his eyes met the top of a brunette head, nestled under his left arm, the person's long, tan arm draped across his abdomen. That… didn't make sense, he certainly wouldn't have… and definitely not last night, today was Wednesday and he knew better than to do… _something like_ _that_ on a work night. Not that he'd do something like that in the first place! Frowning away his confusion and dismissing his strangely sleep muzzy thoughts, Ludwig reached down to shake the naked shoulder of the person- the man, actually, in his bed.

"Excuse me," he began, frown deepening as the man whined quietly into the sensitive skin of his chest. He shook the man's shoulder again, sitting up. The man's grip tightened as he shifted, face slowly turning up to look at Ludwig. Or… not, the man's eyes were still closed.

"Whaaaat? I was sleeping!" the man protested, looking drowsily annoyed.

"I," Ludwig coughed, awkward and confused, voice deepening as he struggled against it, "I apologize, but I do not know who you are. Could you. Erm. Please leave." Naturally, he didn't phrase the last part as a question, despite the please, it was a command.

"Whyyyy?" the man whined, shifting to prop himself up with the arm that'd been clutching at Ludwig's side, pressing him lightly back down into the bed. His movements revealed not only that the two had been sleeping without a blanket, but also that the man was completely naked. Ludwig's face flushed cherry red as he quickly averted his eyes.

"I don't want to!" the man continued, and Ludwig's brows drew together angrily.

"This is my bed. Get out." The man's pout grew.

"Nooo, it's _our_ bed! You can't make me!" he finished petulantly. Ludwig growled in frustration, pushing himself out of the bed. Or, he would've, if the man hadn't suddenly increased the force with which he was pressing him down by several magnitudes. Ludwig's breath whooshed out and he reached up with both arms to try and move the hand.

"W-what?" There was no way this man, who was quite a bit smaller than he was and had almost no observable muscle mass should be able to hold him down. Ludwig's hands closed around the wrist and he struggled to displace it.

"You can't leave either!" The man's eyebrows drew together in a mockery of Ludwig's own expression. "We'll get up after the sun and I'll make you breakfast and you'll take care of me!"

"I-I most certainly will not!" Ludwig yanked even more harshly, pressing his feet in the bed to try and buck the man's hold. He couldn't believe that the man was just doing this with one hand, not even looking like it was costing him any energy.

"Who the hell are you?!"

"I'm Feliciano!" the man smiled, anger melting away like snow in sunlight, "Your boyfriend! What's your name?"


	2. The Rescue

Ludwig's struggles paused and he lay completely still for a moment, gobsmacked. He stared blankly up into Feliciano's still infuriatingly closed eyes for several moments before yelling in a mixture of fear and inarticulate rage. Feliciano almost seemed to quail for a moment, before smiling up at him, unperturbed.

"Grarghrgh," he mimicked the intonation almost exactly, scrunching his face in an approximation of what was almost certainly meant to be Ludwig's own expression, "can't be your name, can it? It's really hard to say!"

"No." Ludwig's mind went blank as the anger and frustration finally tipped over into a blank, white place past the two, where his mind shut down and he began to realize that nothing this frustrating could rationally exist. "No," he repeated, "My name is Ludwig. Please let me up, Feliciano."

"Ludwig?" Feliciano's face brightened as he smacked his lips, tasting the name, "That's a nice name. Ludwig. Ludwig! Am I saying it right?" he bounced, smiling, and the pressure on Ludwig's chest let up. "Since we're already awake, I guess we can get up. Although," and here is face firmed in an attempt at sternness that seemed almost completely toothless, despite the strength he'd exhibited earlier, "Tomorrow, we're staying asleep until _I_ wanna get up, okay~?"

Ludwig nodded uncomprehendingly as he dashed out of the bed, his flush fading quickly as the reality of the situation, as far as he could tell, set in. He glanced around the room, noting the glass on the floor and pictures of him, his grandfather, and his brother laying on the carpeted floor. The events of the night before, nearly completely forgotten in the way his dreams usually were, came back to him vaguely, and he looked at Feliciano again in consternation.

"Be careful, Ludwig!" he seemed to take great pleasure in the name, pausing for a moment, as if to savor it, "You really should have cleaned up that glass last night, it's dangerous!" He got off the bed, completely unashamed of his nudity, on the side furthest from the glass before bouncing to the door, "I'll go make breakfast while you take care of it! It's scary like this!"

Again, Ludwig stared blankly, this time at the doorway and after the man before suddenly snapping into action and grabbing his cellphone off of the nightstand where it was charging. He unlocked it, eyes trained on the doorway, and quickly pulled up his brother from the contact list. Hitting call, he sat down at his desk, still refusing to turn his back on the doorway. It rang once, twice, three times, Ludwig felt sweat trickling down his neck, four times, five times-

"Mmrh Luddy, what the hell?" his brother's sleep-clouded voice finally answered.

"Gilbert!" Ludwig breathed in and out deeply, keeping his voice to an urgent whisper, "There's someone in my apartment!"

"What?"

"I woke up and there was a strange man in my bed! He's naked, Gilbert!"

"Wh-hahahah-are you freaking out about a one-night-stand, Luddy? Seriously? That's what you woke me up for at 6 in-the-fucking-morning?"

"I did not!" Ludwig stopped again, lowering his voice from the whisper shout it'd escalated to, "sleep with this man, Gilbert. He's scaring me, he says we're dating and I don't know him at all."

"I didn't think you _could_ get black out drunk! I can't believe you were able to get it up while being that wasted, hehehesesese" Ludwig groaned as his brother's laughter degenerated into its most annoying variation, that terrible hissing thing he'd honed when they were children.

"Ludwig!" the becoming-familiar voice called out to him from the kitchen area, "You need to go grocery shopping later! There's hardly anything here except beer and meat!" he flinched, calling back, "A-alright!" before frantically whisper-shouting into his phone.

"I know you don't believe me, but could you come over and help me get him out? I can't-" Gilbert sighed theatrically before interrupting in the same half-laughing tone he'd carried since the sleepiness faded from his voice.

"I'll come over, but only to see who it is that could possibly freak you out this bad. You'd think your ice-cube act could get anybody to leave! You owe me a beer too, by the way. I'll be over in five." He didn't always appreciate it, but sometimes living in the same building as his brother could have its advantages. The call ended, and Ludwig sat in his office chair for a moment longer, taking a few deep breaths, trying to calm down as he looked around his room again. The glass and bits of picture frame scattered across the floor and the unmade bed grated at him, but he attempted to ignore the mess to try and focus on how he could resolve this incredibly strange situation.

Who the hell was this guy? Well, he knew his name, but- How could he be so strong? Ludwig knelt, carefully picking the larger pieces of glass loose from the carpet. He struggled to remember the night before, but the details past laying down slipped away from him the way fragments of his dreams usually did, leaving him with only the vague impression of fighting and fear. His fists clenched lightly around the broken bits of frame and he felt the sharp edges lightly dig into his skin. He reached for the next bit of frame, only to realize that the long, thin sliver was actually one of his pens, blunted lightly at the end and covered in flaking, dried blood. The carpet was also lightly stained underneath it, and he blinked wonderingly at it. Hadn't he?

-BZZT BZZT BZZT-

The sudden blare of his alarm startled Ludwig out of his thoughts, and he dropped what he'd picked up into his trash bin before striding across the room to turn the alarm off. He realized, as he turned the alarm off, that some of the noise he'd been dismissing earlier without thinking about it, was coming from the kitchen, as pots and pans clanged against each other. There was also a faint humming that he was just going to disregard for now, he decided as he made the bed, pulling the sheets tight with military precision. Quickly, he went over the floor again, ferreting out a few more pieces of glass and rescuing the two pictures laying on the beige carpet. He could get the small bloodstain left by the pen out later with some cleaner, but the clanging in the kitchen was concerning him, despite his seconds-earlier resolution to ignore it.

Setting the pictures on his desk and grabbing a pair of pants and a shirt from his dresser, Ludwig went from his bedroom to the combined kitchen and living space that made up the majority of his apartment. Feliciano was standing at the stove, boiling some water while cooking meat in a skillet. The meat's packaging was discarded on the counter, and he'd spilled some of the water while moving the pan from the sink to the stove.

"Hi again, Ludwig!" Feliciano turned around to smile and greet Ludwig pleasantly, but he was more focused on tidying the mess the other man had already made of his kitchen. He stepped up next to the man, momentarily forgetting his earlier fear, handed him the clothes and cleared the wrapping into the trash.

"I'm making something really good for breakfast," Feliciano continued, undeterred, "I know it's a little early for pasta, but since you made me get up so early, it's fine, right~? We both love pasta anyways." He giggled, and Ludwig took the sponge from the sink and began to scrub away any meat residue the other man may have left on the counter. How much longer was it until- The doorbell rang, then rang again, then rang again, and Ludwig sighed in a mixture of irritation and relief at the obvious sign of his brother's arrival.

"Who could that be?" Feliciano wondered aloud, "Isn't it too early for guests?" He was still completely naked, having set the clothes down on the table a few feet from the counter. Ludwig finished one last swipe at the counter, face flushing again as the doorbell still being rung tenaciously. "Put the clothes on!" He waited, carefully avoiding looking at the other man as the doorbell grated against his senses, then went to answer the door once the man had stopped staring at him blankly and pulled them on. He had barely unlocked it when it was pushed open, revealing his brother's face, grinning despite his earlier protests about the time.

"Hey Luddy! Where's your boyfriend?" he jeered light-heartedly and Ludwig's perpetual frown deepened.

"Here! I'm Feliciano, Ludwig's boyfriend~!" Feliciano raised his hand like he was responding to a teacher calling attendance before bouncing his way over from the stove to the doorway. "Who's this, Ludwig?" he asked, smiling sunnily.

"He's-"

"I'm Gilbert, this tool's awesome brother!" Gilbert cut him off before he could finish. Sniffing audibly, he continued both verbally and into the apartment, "Is that breakfast? What'cha making?"

"Pasta!" Feliciano answered happily as Ludwig shut the door.

"For breakfast?" despite the questioning tone, Gilbert's near-manic grin didn't drop as he casually strolled over to the fridge, opening it as if he owned it. Ludwig rubbed at his forehead as he realized what should have been obvious. His brother would be no help in getting Feliciano out of his apartment. Honestly, why he'd thought the man currently digging a beer out of his fridge at 6:15 in the morning would be of any use was beyond him. He could blame it on the early morning and the frightening experience from before, but even that didn't seem like it could entirely absolve him.

"You say that," Feliciano began, giggling, "even though you're the one drinking beer first thing!"

"Ha! Hahaha, you're right!" Gilbert agreed in the mildest tone he possessed (which was quite a bit louder than everyone else's), clearly amused. "So I hear you shacked up with Luddy last night!" he continued without the slightest hint of shame. Ludwig's face flushed despite himself, and he made himself busy cleaning the cutting board that Feliciano had used earlier and left in the sink. Feliciano didn't seem at all thrown off and answered almost immediately.

"Yeah! We're living together now~!"

"Izzat so?" Gilbert grinned into his beer as he reclined in one of the chairs at Ludwig's table. "Luddy told me you two met last night. Moving kinda fast, ain't'cha?"

"Yup! But we're in love, so it doesn't matter!" Ludwig dropped his sponge into the soapy water and he turned to gape at Feliciano for what felt like the thousandth time today.

"No, we are not!" Feliciano's sunny mood vanished at that, pleasant smile turning immediately to a frown as tears gathered at the edge of his eyes. Ludwig flinched, though he felt just as angry as he had before.

"Yes, we are!" Gilbert looked on, amused.

"No, I'm sure we aren't."

"And _I_! am sure that we _are_!" Feliciano put his hands on his hips, glaring balefully at Ludwig despite his still closed eyes.

"Hey-!" Gilbert interrupted strangely. Ludwig would've thought his brother would've already pulled out some popcorn and sat back to enjoy the carnage. "Luddy, what's that on your neck?" his brother approached with the smirk and pulled down eyebrows that were the closest his face ever came to expressing concern. Ludwig reached up to his neck as Feliciano's angry expression dropped to one of confusion. Gilbert pulled Ludwig down by his left shoulder and stared at his neck.

"Did you get a tattoo or what? Occult-looking, too. I never thought you were the type, Luddy," he teased. Consternated, Ludwig reached up to touch where Gilbert was staring at, Feliciano remaining silent.

"I'm not," Ludwig confirmed, a flash of remembered pain echoing through him as his fingertips grazed the smooth skin. His eyebrows creased as he looked down at his brother, then at the strange man cooking breakfast, before he turned to go to the bathroom. His brother shrugged and sat down, continuing, "How wasted _were_ you last night, Luddy! I thought you were kidding, but then I remembered you can't tell a joke to save your life!"

Ludwig ignored his brother, turning on the bathroom light and examining his neck for the supposed tattoo. It was there, a dark brownish-red circle with strange symbols inside it and an even smaller circle in the very middle. Upon further examination, the symbols were incredibly deformed numbers and letters, spelling "0L11S" in a circle between the two circles.

His brows drew down, and he wondered if his shirt would fully cover the thing for work today. He'd have to look into tattoo removal. Not to mention that his brother's hypothesis, that he was blindingly drunk the night before, was beginning to seem more and more viable. Although it was strange, the tattoo wasn't inflamed and it didn't hurt at all to touch. Then again, he'd always had a high pain tolerance.

"The food's ready!" Feliciano called, and Ludwig grunted, tearing his eyes away from the strange tattoo and heading back out into the living area. Gilbert was already reaching to dig into the food as Feliciano was putting it onto his plate, but Feliciano was still smiling. He fixed his gaze onto Ludwig, and Ludwig wondered again how he was capable of doing all he'd done without opening his eyes once. Feliciano sat down after setting two more plates of food down, beginning to eat his own without hesitation. Ludwig remained standing by the bathroom doorway, still incredibly perturbed.

"Sit down, Luddy! The food's good!" Gilbert's teeth shone through the mess of sauce and pasta as he gestured for his brother to sit down, and Ludwig woodenly did so.

"Keep your mouth closed when you're chewing," he corrected as he carefully speared some of the noodles with a fork, delicately lifted them to his mouth, and then chewed carefully. It was good, although heavy pasta was not his first choice for breakfast.

"Loosen up!" Gilbert opened his mouth even wider as he spoke this time, obviously attempting to show off the mess of food in his mouth to his brother.

"You're disgusting." Gilbert laughed at that, and Ludwig made his way through his own plate efficiently and neatly.

"Haha, I can really tell you two are brothers!" Feliciano commented, already finished with his own plate. His mouth was surrounded by bright red sauce, and somehow, the sight disturbed Ludwig.

"You too. Clean your face," Ludwig ordered as he passed the man a paper towel from the roll on the table. Feliciano complied, still smiling, and Ludwig checked the time. He still needed to shower after this and then head to work. He finished his own food, pondering what to do. Quickly, he picked up the dirty plates, placing them into the sink with the cutting board he'd almost finished cleaning earlier, and started scrubbing.

"God, you're such a neat freak!" Gilbert commented before addressing Feliciano again, "Hey, what'd'ya bring with you? Since you're living with my brother now and all."

"Nothing!" he answered, bright and shameless.

"Hah? Really!"

Rinsing the last of the dishes and setting it carefully on the rack to dry, Ludwig wiped off his hands on his white dish towel before commenting.

"Good. Then you won't have any problems leaving," he cut in coolly.

"What? I'm not leaving, Ludwig, we're living together!" Feliciano countered, as though it were an indisputable fact. Ludwig stepped up to the two others, placed a hand on both of their backs and began urging them towards the door.

"No. We are not living together. I don't even know your last name. And Gilbert, you need to get ready for work."

"We are! You can't kick me out!"

"Is this the thanks I get for coming to help?"

"Ludwiiiiiiiiiiiiig!"

"Luddyyyyyyyy!"

Ignoring the protests, Ludwig pushed the two men out of his apartment firmly. He must have been incredibly tired earlier or still drunk, it wasn't difficult at all to move Feliciano. Even half asleep, he should've been able to practically throw the other man across the room.

"Thank you for the breakfast. As payment, you can keep the clothes," he nodded at the two of them before shutting the door and locking it. He paused for a moment, feeling a vague sense of fear at the thought of Feliciano re-exhibiting his insane strength from before, but when nothing happened, he turned away from the door and went to take care of the rest of his early morning routine. He was glad that had been resolved so easily, but now he'd have to think about what to do about that tattoo. And how to preemptively take care of the terrible hangover he knew would show up eventually, considering the amount he'd drunk the night before.

**AN:** to be quite honest, this story is largely here b/c another story made me mad but I'm not going to be specific. I'm just trying to pull off one of those like supernatural boyfriend stories without making the power dynamics intolerable haha. Fair warning that I am just basically writing what comes to mind with little to no regard for quality, so it's kinda terrible. I have a vague idea of some later events for the story but for now it's not very involved.


	3. The Shower Scene

Already having had to deal with both his brother and a strange, naked man made Ludwig question his luck. Not to mention the strange tenseness he felt slowly crawling up his arms and legs. Groaning as he realized how bad his day was looking if the pattern of misfortune continued, Ludwig made his way back into the bathroom, ready to shower off the sweat that'd dried on his skin. He'd make it hot enough to burn out the stress his muscles seemed to be under and hopefully prevent the cramps and aching tensing up could cause. He was almost always uncomfortably stiff, it was hard for him to relax without focusing on a task, especially when there were other people around.

Ludwig undressed efficiently, scowling at himself as he caught sight of his new tattoo again in the mirror. He'd never planned on getting any tattoos, but even drunk, he'd thought he had better taste than this. It was shaky, like the artist had been even less sober than he had been when he'd got it, and it was kind of smudgy looking. Sighing, Ludwig disregarded it for now and stepped into the shower, only realizing his jaw had been clenched when he relaxed it under the hot spray. Beginning his typical routine, he wet his hair and began to scrub shampoo precisely into his scalp, his fingers entwined with his hair.

"That wasn't very nice, Ludwig!" a pouty tenor sounded behind him.

Ludwig jumped, slipped, and couldn't quite get his hands out of his hair in time to catch himself before landing on his ass, one leg sprawled awkwardly in front of him, with the other bent enough to slightly cushion his fall. The pain was more from shock than anything, and after a second to regain his senses, Ludwig's head whipped around. He was immediately greeted with one of the more awkward sights he'd seen in some time, Feliciano standing in the spray of the shower frowning down at him, completely naked.

Still on the shower floor, Ludwig scrambled back, eyes wide (once again) with shock (and focused on Feliciano's face as carefully as they could be in this situation).

"_How_ did you get in here?" his voice attempted a shriek at first before settling back down into his typical drill-sergeant shout. He certainly hadn't noticed the other man coming into the shower, let alone opening the door and entering the room.

"I let myself in. I live here too, y'know. I can't believe you kicked me out!" If not for the fear his unexpected presence had caused, Feliciano would ridiculous, hair wet from the shower, eyes still closed with his utterly toothless scowl, and hands on his naked hips. Ludwig felt his face creasing in consternation as he slowly pushed himself up against the wall.

"I locked the door," he countered, noticing through the gap between the shower curtain and the wall that the bathroom door was closed. "I locked both doors." He certainly wasn't someone known for his carelessness, after all; he always closed and locked the bathroom door when he was using it, even though he lived alone.

"Ludwig," Feliciano sighed, nearly inaudible through the drumming water, and Ludwig drew to his full height before stepping forward into the other man's space, knowing from past experience that his intimidating stature would help make his point.

"Putting aside how you got in here, why are you here? I believe I've made it clear that… whatever happened last night, I'm not interested in being your… significant other," Ludwig finished awkwardly, his usual practicality suffering as he discussed the uncomfortable topic. "Leave."

For a moment, it seemed like he'd gotten through to the shorter man, but then Feliciano's posture changed, arms pulling up strangely away from his hips and face smoothing. And then his eyes opened, bright gold glaring up with upsetting intensity, and Ludwig felt his breath catch in his throat. If he could have, Ludwig would have done… something, he didn't know what, but he couldn't seem to move now, or even breathe. A dull ache began in his neck, and he realized after a moment that it was his tattoo, feeling like it had been rubbed suddenly raw. Feliciano moved closer to Ludwig, grabbing his shoulders firmly, one thumb reaching almost accidentally over to rest on the tattoo. It was strange how his shorter height didn't make the sudden change any less terrifying.

"I won't leave. I'm yours, Ludwig. And you are _mine_. We need each other," Feliciano spoke with a clear, unwavering voice, so different from his sing song tone from before that Ludwig could barely recognize it. The tattoo throbbed with every word, as if for emphasis.

Ludwig struggled against the choking feeling and the burn for several more moments before Feliciano nodded, seemingly satisfied, and stepped backwards, falling back into a more relaxed posture, eyes closing into a pleasant emphasis for his smile. Gasping to fill his lungs with the air they'd been so deprived of, Ludwig slumped against the shower wall, his tattoo still distantly pulsing in counterpoint to his racing heartbeat.

"You should finish your shower," Feliciano's lips curled even further, looking innocent and concerned, "It's bad for the planet to waste water, you know~!" Ludwig grunted and slowly pushed off of the wall, before quickly beginning to scrub away the grime from the night, all while carefully avoiding looking at the man less than a foot away. Feliciano began to hum, and he shuddered.

Even that strange thing with the tattoo earlier shouldn't have discouraged him from trying to get the other man out of his apartment, Ludwig thought as he cleaned. He was, after all, stronger than almost anyone else he knew, thanks both to his job as a mechanic and his regular work out schedule. He'd never had to worry before about being physically overpowered, nor was he particularly susceptible to guilt trips or impassioned statements, as his brother had found out several times before.

Finally finishing, Ludwig reached past Feliciano to turn the water off before stepping out of the shower and tying a towel first thing around his waist. While he wasn't usually particularly body-shy, something about being (more) vulnerable in front of this man rubbed him the wrong way. He performed the rest of his morning hygiene routine under the man's disconcerting stare, carefully ignoring the humming and unconcerned expression as Feliciano toweled himself off and then poked around his bathroom. He seemed to be unduly fascinated with the aftershave, sniffing it after Ludwig put it aside before dripping a little onto his hand and flinching at the cold. His pleasant smile turned into a moue as the alcoholic smell grew stronger, and he wiped his hand off on the towel he'd used before, looking the most displeased Ludwig'd seen him (outside of the times his eyes'd been open).

Feeling the crawling sensation of Feliciano's un-gaze along his spine, Ludwig forced down a shudder, continuing to his room to get ready for work. Even with a dangerous person deciding to live in his apartment while professing his need for him, Ludwig needed to work.

"Where are you going to go?" Feliciano asked sweetly as he sat on Ludwig's bed and watched him pull boxers on underneath the towel before finally discarding it. Ludwig started and fumbled with the tank top he was pulling over his head.

"To work," he answered curtly as he straightened the garment, "You won't be coming with me."

"Awwww~, really?" Feliciano pouted, flopping back onto the bed, some bits of him jiggling with the disturbing effect of emphasizing his nakedness. "Are you sure, Ludwig?"

"I can't afford any distractions at work. If you come with me, I will call the police." Come to think of it, that was a good plan, wait until he got to work and then use his cellphone to report a home invasion. Surely they could get the man out of his house. Although… would they believe him if they told him that Feliciano, a man he should be able to lift over his head with one hand, was staying in his house without his permission and intimidating him? …Somehow, Ludwig doubted it. He'd text Lilli and ask her to ask her brother; he didn't think Vash would take him seriously if he asked directly, no matter how awkward it felt to him to avoid doing so.

Tucking his shirt into his pants, Ludwig realized that Feliciano still hadn't replied, and he turned his gaze down to focus on the other man. He was still sprawled out on the bed, only now he was… asleep? It was frankly quite difficult to tell, since his eyes were almost always closed anyways. Ludwig cleared his throat, but the other man still didn't respond. Since Feliciano had almost constantly been in motion the entire time he'd been awake, Ludwig decided that his assumption was correct. Perhaps he could move the man while he was sleeping, put him back outside of the apartment? After wrapping him up in something of course, he wasn't going to be responsible for exposing the general public to an exposed Feliciano.

Ludwig reached forward to pick the other man, but was forced to stop as his tattoo stung at him suddenly. He reached up to touch it, concerned that he'd somehow gotten himself while shaving, even though it was a little low for that to be a possibility, and the pain quickly ceased. Frowning at himself, he tried again to grab Feliciano, whose breaths were making a strange curl of hair that Ludwig hadn't noticed before shake, but the strange pain came back. Scowling fully now, Ludwig realized that, whatever the tattoo was (and he was now forced to acknowledge that he really hadn't been drunk last night), it wasn't going to let him touch Feliciano while he slept.

Turning on a heel, Ludwig grabbed his things before heading out of his bedroom door, glancing back at the terrible, naked man who was almost certainly going to ruin his life. While he wasn't normally petty, Ludwig's mouth turned up slightly as he turned the air conditioning up, glad to cause Feliciano some measure of discomfort. He stood next to the controls for a moment longer, before sighing to himself as he turned it back down, only slightly higher than it'd been to start with; he couldn't bring himself to waste the power or the money just to harass the other man.

Ludwig checked to make sure all of his lights were off before leaving his apartment, glad to be heading to work, where he'd hopefully be free of Feliciano for the rest of the day. Maybe the man would even be gone when he came back, although he wouldn't hold his breath unless he really did contact the police. At least solving the vehicles' problems would help distract him from his own.

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AN: fair warning that basically every chapter of this fic is probs gonna be pretty filler-y. and also ooc ha Thanks sis for suggesting an occupation for Ludwig, sorry I didn't make him a vet ha


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